R. Han

Zoltán Korbel wrote:
More specifically what I want to know is how far do the roots of a let's say 5 feet = 153 cm tall living willow hedge spread horizontally, because it would determine how close to the willow fence I can grow annual and herbaceous plants.

Do not worry, any distance that allows you to conveniantly access the fence wihtout stepping in your veggies should be fine,
depending on what you plant.
I suggest planting the perennials between the living fence and the annuals to act as a root barrier.
You will figure out the details by permacultures best tool : Observation.

Tina Wolf wrote:
It is true that not much will grow under the willow except some herbs and vines.

This knowledge is applicable to a large tree which will cast a corresponding shadow.
The living fence we are talking about will probably be coppiced to a couple of feet.

Regarding the choice of willow, please consider that it is a wetland species,
therefore your veggies will benefit if water needs to be drawn away because of a watterlogged situation,
but if it already is a dry place, you might consider less thirsty species like poplar or even slower growing dryland species.
It depends on your context.

S. Brown wrote:A trick to keeping it clean looking is to mix in the clay with the sand, compacting it aggressively.

I don't get why to do this part. Won't this step make the clay more leaky?

Also what is "agressive" compaction? Regular usage of a sheepfoot-roller for example?

Rembrandt Hall wrote:Help needed!
if the hydro produces 1kilowatt  - according the seller - will it produce enough for a household of 2 people if covering that distance?

Distance is no issue except for the costs of a thick copper cables and their installation/maintenance.

If - and that is a big IF - the unit outputs 1 kw under ideal conditions, and IF you can provide those conditions, your peak useages in a typical household
will be manyfold higher. Think of running a hair dryer while the washing machine heats water, each usually have several kw.

You will have to buffer that.

The cheapest way to do so, is to be hooked up to the public power grid, and - if your local regalations allow it - even sell them your surplus energy.

If "on grid" is not possible, then you have to go "off grid", and this is more expensive than you think and also a long term liability(replacing batteries every few years etc.).

It could pay to get a professional to make an estimate of how big of an generator you can actually run in your situation,
and then decide what to do.

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:In my region, don't plant Comfrey in your driest spot. That plant is barely alive, dying back during our seasonal drought, waiting until spring to try again. Don't plant in full shade. They die. Plants in 6 hours of sun are more than twice the size of plants in 4 hours of sun.

Die back as in "will regrow when moisture is available" or as in "dead and will rot  when moisture becomes available"?

Mamalana Bliss wrote:N But how much do you learn?

I will repeat, what i should have read earlier, and also should have taken into consideration more seriously:
You know nothing, until you get your hands dirty.

Edit: I think online opens up the possibility to have the course with virtually any person with suffixient tehnology,
while in person faciliates communication.

Then again i did not have a PDC yet, so who am i to judge

Make transplants. Preferably with a small greenhosue (can also be one of those indoor greenhouses). Plant transplants in mulched beds.
Some plants may work as transplants in a specific context, some don't, it is try&error.

Da Bearded1 wrote:Before you clear the weeds, you should read this http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/weeds/WeedsToC.html .  Some of the ideas have been superseded but the main idea is pure permaculture.

Dave "DaBearded1" Wise

Bumped this, because it is hidden in an 10 year old post.
I Just read the first chapter, and its like wow.
I Will read the rest of it asap, and so should you

Actually i am really surprised the site is still up, usually links this old don't work anymore.

Pearl Sutton wrote:Eating the seeds depends on how small you are willing to crack. I have some seeds that are just huge, the Turban had small ones, not much to them.  All are edible, it's a matter of how much work you want to put into them.

Really all of them? Also the seeds of bitter tasting cucurbitae, whose flesh is poisonous to us?

A friend of mine recently started working for a company that builds such houses (Timber frames for the structure, straw bales with clay as walls).

The costs are just around the same as for conventional building... the materials may be cheaper but the amount of manual work offsets that.

As for building it yourself: Sorry you can't

The people who started that company had years of trial&error to build up their knowledge, because when they asked old people for recipies it failed miserably because the soil composition differs from location to location. The other reason why is difficult to build by youself, is that in most climates you have a very slim time-window to finish the job, so you need people to help you.

If you want to build it youself, i highly recommend you to not rely on knowledge from Books and the Internet, but to get in touch with people who offer hands-on workshops so you can gather practical experience before starting you project.